KUALA LUMPUR (May 19): Opposition Public Accounts Committee (PAC) members said the decision to table the auditor-general (A-G)'s report should be left to the PAC, after its chairman Datuk Hasan Arifin yesterday (May 18) said it was up to the cabinet to decide on the matter.

At a press conference today, Petaling Jaya Utara MP Tony Pua said the A-G had requested for the report to be classified as official secrets until the PAC report has been tabled in parliament, adding that Hasan had also mentioned this in a statement dated March 7.

"However, the chairman had a different standing on the issue yesterday, when he said the decision on the declassification of the audit report lies with the executive members of government, not with the PAC.

"He will only write to the executives to inquire whether the report will be declassified. We believe the power to table the report lies with the PAC, because the PAC report itself had picked out information directly from the A-G's report," said Pua.

He added that the opposition MPs in the PAC believe there is no information in the report that may threaten national security, that has to be kept secret.

Meanwhile, on Hasan's receipt of a letter dated April 6 from the deputy governor of Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM), Pua said PAC members were unaware of this development, and was not informed of the letter.

"According to minister in prime minister's office Datuk Seri Azalina Othman, the letter was the basis for Datuk Hasan Arifin to postpone the PAC report, which was certified in the PAC meeting on April 4.

"Due to this, statements that indicate BNM's confirmation that Good Star Ltd was owned by an individual unrelated to Petrosaudi International Ltd, was removed from the PAC's report without the consideration of other PAC members.

The PAC members had requested yesterday for the chairman to disclose the contents of the letter, which was met with refusal on behalf of Hasan.

"His refusal to distribute the official letter to the other PAC members was the first time in the PAC's history, whereby important information was not shared with committee members. His action can be seen as an insult [to] the the PAC members, that have been chosen by the parliament.

"This has given rise to suspicions towards the chairman, as to whether he had deliberately hid the letter, so the information relating to the misappropriation of funds between 1MDB and Good Star Ltd would not be exposed.

Pua said the letter from the central bank must be shared with the PAC members as soon as possible, to prove there was no cover up involved.